http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ mirrored file For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== */(For this new English translation of this important work, the translator is Suzanne D. Fisher; editorial comments, inserted in the text, as it proceeds, are by Dr. Bruce S. Fisher. The Spanish version of Antonio Mediz Bolio is being used.)/* *Book of the Ancient Gods** [ONLY] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***Another translator (Roys) entitles this text /The Creation of the World/, because it refers to the cosmogony; it is part of the myth of the origin of the world that relates one of the periodical cosmic destructions due to the underworld deity (symbolizing death) robbing his vital principle from heaven. Immediately is narrated the reorganizing of the cosmos, carried out on to the end by the /Bucabes/, gods of the cardinal points and sustainers of heaven. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is very necessary that we understand that what you have been worshiping has been the rocks, hard wood and animals placed here by our Father God.*** In much earlier times, here, amongst us, the Men of Majesty were worshipped as the true gods. Those stones and other less worthy objects prevented the coming of the True god, Our Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth. Although they were the ancient gods, they were transient gods. The period of their worship was now ended. They were dissipated by the blessing of the Sky Lord, when he finished the redemption of the world, when the True God came back, when he blessed Heaven and Earth. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** This statement alludes to idol worship. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Your gods crumbled, Mayan men! Hopelessly, you worshipped them. ** * * * ** The account of the history of this land was rendered in paintings: because the day had not yet arrived in which these papers and this multitude of words were used; so that one would ask the ancient Mayan men if they knew how they were born and how their land in this region was founded. ** * * * ** It was during the /Eleven Ahau Katún/ when Ah-Mucen Cab ["He who guards the honey"] left to blindfold the Thirteen gods [/Oxlaun-ti-Ku/]. They did not know his name. Only their sisters and sons spoke it, and neither were they able to see his face. It was the moment in which the earth had just awakened. They did not know what was going to happen. And the Thirteen gods were captured by the Nine gods. And it rained fire and ash; and trees and rocks fell. And the trees and rocks came crashing against each other. And the Thirteen gods were taken and each of their heads was broken and their faces slapped. And they were spat upon and carried on their backs. And their Serpent of Life [/Canhel/]*** with rattlers in its tail****, was stolen and with it was taken its quetzal plumage*****. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***"/Canhel/", serpent or dragon. This /Canhel/ term has been translated to mean "insignia" and signals the relationship with the god K, and has been identified as Bolon Dz'acab: ah human figure with the facial features of a snake who appears at times in a form of a scepter in the hands of governors, especially in the classic period. It is a god related to vegetation and blood. In this book, /Cangel/ is so written because of its similarity to the word angel and seems to mean vital principle (in this paragraph, of Chac, god of rain). ****"Stripped of its insignias and covered with soot" here means that it was shamed, according to some researchers. *****This translation seems more correct: If /Canhel/ is a serpent, the text signifies that the plumed serpent from the sky was stolen, meaning the celestial vital principle, due to the world being destroyed. In these texts as in the plastic arts of the Mayan era, the plumed serpent symbolizes celestial water and is corroborated by the translation of Mediz Bolio. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And they took ground sweet peas along with their sperm and, along with their heart, ground seed of squash and thick ground-up beans. And He who is eternal [Yax Bolon Dzacub, "Great-Nine-Fertilizer"] wrapped it and tied it all together and went to the thirteenth level of heaven. And then his skin and the tips of his bones fell here on the land. And it was then that his heart escaped because the Thirteen gods did not want his heart and seed to be gone from them. And the orphans, helpless old men and widows who were without strength to live were killed with large arrow shots. And they were buried by the side of the sand in the waves of the sea. And then, in one fell swoop, the waters came.*** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***This refers to one of the great cosmic destructions caused by a flood. It coincides with the cosmogonic Quiché and Náhuatle myths showing a community of beliefs at a Mesoamerican level. It also may describe, according to Otto Muck in his /Secret of Atlantis/, an asteroid strike that triggered the sinking of Plato's island of Poseidenis - the last of the Atlantean landmasses - with the catastrophic aftermath. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And when the Great Serpent was stolen, the firmament collapsed and the earth sank. The four gods, the Four /Bacab/ leveled everything. At the moment when the leveling was finished, they were secured in their places in order to ordain the yellow men. And the First White Tree [/Sac Imix Che,/ "White Silk-Cotton Tree"] was raised in the North. And the arch of heaven was raised, sign of the destruction below. When the first White Tree was raised, the First Black Tree was then raised up [/Ek Imix Che/, "Black Silk-Cotton Tree"], and in it rested the bird of the black chest. And the first yellow Tree was raised [/Kan Imix Che/, "Yellow silk-Cotton Tree"], and in a sign of the destruction from below, the bird of the yellow chest came to rest in it.*** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***The raising of the First Red Tree [/Chac Imix Che/] is lacking, in the East. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And the "Great Mother /Ceiba/ Tree [/Yax Imix Che/, "Green Silk-cotton Tree] was raised, in the middle of the memory of the destruction of the land. She sat down, placing herself erect and raised her goblet, ordering eternal (evergreen) leaves. And with her branches and roots called, her Lord. And Chac-piltec was raised, to the East of the land. And she called her Lord. And Lahun-chan was raised and she called her Lord. And Kanpiltec was lifted up and she called her Lord. These reflect the will of the land. At that moment, Uuc-cheknal came from the seventh layer of the sky. When he came down, he trodded on the backs of Itzeam-cab-Aim ["sorcerer of the water ­ land crocodile"]*** so-called. He came while the earth and sky were being cleaned. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***The Great Crocodile symbolizes the earth. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And they walked through the fourth fire, through the fourth level of the stars. The earth had not yet been illuminated. There was no Sun, no night, no Moon. They realized that the Earth was awakening. And then the Earth awoke; at this moment the Earth awoke. Infinite rungs of the ladder of time and seven moons later were counted since Earth woke up and then the dawn came for them. The Reign of The Second Period was felt, and then the Reign of the Third Period. And then the three gods began to cry. They cried before the god chacab, who was the one who was ruling on his red mat. Because of them the First Tree of the land became red and the immensity of the earth reddened. They were great sinners of the spirit. The day of their power had not yet arrived. In the same way, the nine gods cried. The ordinance of the measure of time arrived here in the red mat. And then it was that oppression came down from the center of the sky, despotic power, the tyrannical kings. And then Chac-edz, he of the red face, and then the king of the white face stopped. And then he of the black face was raised up. And then he of the yellow face stopped.*** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***Here again, as with the Great Ceiba Trees, we have the colors black, yellow, white and red ­ the four stages of the Philosopher's Stone, the four fires of transmutation; and also the four cardinal points. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And then Chactenel Ahau was raised, with his mat and throne. And Zactemal arrived with his mat and throne. And Ek-tenel Ahau was raised with his mat and throne. And Kan-tenel-Ahau stopped with mat and throne.*** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***This seems to refer to the four gods of the cardinal points. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ They believed that they were gods; but perhaps they were not. They did not scatter seeds, nor did they make it rain. Bit by bit they said they were joining forces; but they were not saying what they loved. Their countenance was harsh. Hard times arrived and heavy misery came under their power. When they arrived to be established in the measurement of their time, the fire of the sun was revived, his face approached and he burned the Earth and the vestments of the kings. And this is the cause of their lamentation. On the magnificent day of power and beauty, on the day in which wisdom of the gods is understood, the harvest will be raised and it will be time for gathering. And the "evil animal" will disappear. And when Ah Muuc lifts his tree, he who abandons his path, he who succeeds him will usher in a very sad time in which the butterflies will be taken away; and then unending bitterness will come. That is what is coming, when three moons have fallen in the time of the /Three Ahau Katún/, and after three portions of years, trapped within the /Three Ahau Katún/; when the other /Katún/ appears, he of three breads, he of three waters, his gift of life will be narrow and juice will be misery. That is what he will eat and drink.*** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **"*The fruit of twigs will be his bread, and his drink; the wild gourd will be his bread, his drink; this is what they will eat and drink." This deals with what they used to eat in epochs of scarcity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ He will drink hailstones and will eat the scattered leaves from the /chaya/. That will take place here, in the land of Sadness, Father, within the Ninth year, in the time when the foreigners are here. The burden of the /Katún/ is asked for, from all the years of the /Thirteen/ /Ahau Katún/. Then the /Eleven Ahau/ opens his feet, and next the word of the Eternal comes down to the tip of his tongue.*** When it is lowered it questions the burden of the /Katún/. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***It was when the word of Bolon Dzacab descended to the tip of his tongue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nine were their cargoes when he came from the sky. The day of /Kan/ was the day when his cargo was tied up. It was when the water came from the sky for the second birth, from the house of the one of the "innumerable years." At the same time Bolon Mayel ["Nine scented"] came down. Sweet was his mouth and the tip of his tongue [his words]. Sweet were his brains [his thoughts]. And these four giants came down who, in earthen vases, brought honey from the flowers. From them blossomed that of the deep red chalice, of the deep white chalice, of the deep black chalice and of the deep yellow chalice. And the wide one and the deviated one. And at the same time blossomed the flower that is watered and the one that has holes; and the wavy flower of cocoa and the one never sucked on***, and the flower of the spirit of color, and the one that always is a flower, and one with a crooked stem. These flowers that came out were the /Comayeles/ [Ah Con Mayeles, "the-offerers-of-perfume"], the mother of flowers.**** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***This is the Five Flower, deity of music and dance. ****This could refer to the pollinating insects and the hummingbirds. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And odorous sacerdotes, kings, war chiefs and servants of the flower god came out. When the latter came down he had no equal. "Look at him," they said, "he does not spill his cargo." And then "the ephemeral flower" came out and placed the sin of the Nine gods [/Bolon-ti-ku/]. The third year is when they say it happened, when the god of hell [/Bolon Dzacab/, "Nine progenitor"] had not come to be a creator. And Pizlimtec*** came down, he of green bones, to the foot of the flower and he who is Eternal transformed him into a hummingbird. And then he sucked the honey of the flower of the nine petals to the most internal part. And then he took as a wife the empty flower**** and left the spirit of the flower to wander. When the chalice of this flower was opened, the Sun [Ah Kin Xochiltun] was within and in its middle his name could be read. And it happened that the Thirteen gods sighed, full of desire. They did no know that in this way sin came down to their mats; they understood this to be gods. It happened that their mats were made of flowers, their chairs of flowers and flowers were in their hair. Jealous their seat, jealous their walking, jealous their plate, glass, heart, understanding, their thoughts; much talking robbed the time from their lordship. At the time he was standing, at the time that his adoration on the lips of his mouth was strong, what he ate behind the palm of his hand, the substance that bites, will not be a stick or stone. He will have red leftovers in his ten molars. He will arrive with his sinful face, his sinful talk, sinful teaching and sinful understanding. And sin will be his walk. He will arrive blindfolded and his mat reddened. During his power, he will forget his father, and his mother who bore him. His heart burning only among the orphans, insulting his father, he must walk in the midst of the homeless, his countenance drunk, his understanding lost, to the place of his father and his m0ther. He has no kindness; there is no good in his heart; only a little bit on the tip of his tongue. He does not know how he must end up; he does not know what there will be at the end of his reign, or what is going to end in time with his power. ** * * * ** These Nine gods [/Bolon-ti-ku/] will be manifested in nine faces [/Bolon Chan/] of Men-Kings, of the mat of the Second time, of the throne of the Second Time, came inside the /beast Ahau Katún/. There will be a new Lord of this land. The course of the /Katún/ that comes will be painfully offered, when the period of the Three Ahau Katún ends, the time when children will be sold, he who will be above the pride of the Itzaes. There will be a period of waste and drought, followed by a period of fertility and abundance. The length of a stone is the punishment for the sin of pride of the Itzaes. The Nine gods will end the course of the /Three Ahau Katún/. And then the wisdom of the gods of the land will be understood. When the /Katún/ has ended, one will see the lineage of the noble Princes appear, and new wise men, and the descendents of the Princes whose faces were crumbled against the ground, who were insulted by the rage of the time by the crazy ones of their /Katún/, by the son of evil who called them "children of indolence"; those who were born when the Earth awoke, inside the /Three Ahau Katún/. Thus will end the power of those for whom God has two faces. ** * * * ** Here is when the period of this /Katún/ is going to end, then God will make happen again the flood and the destruction of the land.*** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***According to Mayan cosmogony (and the Náhuatl), cosmic destruction is produced cyclically, taking place in different epochs or universal ages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And when it has ended, then Our Father the One True Man will come down, in the sacred place, where at one time his redemptive energy will purify us. There he will come one a great cloud to give testimony that truly he was martyred a long time ago. There then will come in great power and majesty the true God, he who created heaven and earth and everything in the world, there will come to measure equally the good and evil of the world, and the arrogant will be humbled!